Onyx Boox Tab Ultra REVIEW: The Most Unusual E-Ink Tablet

This is the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra, and it’s the most unusual E-Ink tablet you can get at the moment. When it was first announced, I was impressed with the specs, but had some reservations about a couple of things, sounding a bit like empty marketing talk in my opinion - like the “Boox Super Refresh Technology”.

But: I’m glad to say, that I was wrong, and the device is actually a powerhouse for productivity and has indeed incredibly fast E-Ink refresh rates – just as promised. Not all is great though, because it definitely has some shortcomings, annoyances, and potential deal breakers as well.

So, let’s check out what I’m talking about together in this in-depth review, and see who I recommend the 10.3-inch Onyx Boox Tab Ultra for - and why it’s not for everyone.

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🔗 LINKS

🎬 CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:49 Design & Build Quality
04:02 5 Things I don't like about the design
07:01 Hardware: Specs
08:26 Boox Pen 2 Pro
09:46 Keyboard Cover: Usage & Quality
12:15 Display: Specs
13:06 Display: Scratch Resistance & Reflections
14:45 Display: Thickness
16:13 Display: Contrast & Lighting Quality
17:02 Display: Color Temperature Adjustment
17:30 Display: Responsiveness & Refresh Rates
20:18 General usability
21:02 Android 11 & App Installation
21:56 Potential Data Privacy Issues
23:41 Android Apps on E-Ink
25:02 Camera & Document Scanning
29:18 PDF-Functions
31:27 Notebooks
32:53 Library & Reading functions
34:12 Text-To-Speech
35:12 E-Book Store
35:43 Performance and Battery Life
38:03 Conclusion

🖖WHO AM I
I'm Chalid, and I've been a fan of e-ink technology for a very long time. I've been reviewing e-ink devices since 2010. After more than 100 different e-reader tests for my German website, this channel is dedicated to sharing my experiences with the latest e-readers, other e-paper devices, and sometimes other tech in English as well.

🔗 DISCLAIMER/DISCLOSURE
The tips, tricks and experiences shared are for guidance only; any actions taken based on these are solely at your own risk. Some links in the description contain affiliate links, which means that if you buy something through these links, I will receive a small commission on a purchase at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you so much for supporting the channel.

🔖 TAGS
Onyx Boox, Onyx Boox Tab Ultra, Boox Tab Ultra, Onxy Boox Tab Ultra Review, Onyx Boox Tab Ultra Honest Review, Onyx Boox Tab Ultra In-Depth Review, Best E-Ink Tablet, E-Ink Tablet, Boox Super Refresh Technology, Boox Review, E-Ink Tablet, Best E-Note

#boox #ereader #eink

[ThomasCorfield]

Thanks for your superbly detailed review. I got one of these soon after it was announced. I would suggest it is the single most brilliant device for NOVELISTS. Anyone working on writing books should consider getting one of these: small footprint, eink screen, google docs offline compatibility with Word app, great keyboard, handwriting notes, minimal distractionabiity, extraordinary battery life, portability, instant no-power standby: I feel like Onyx made it because they could, but without necessarily knowing who for, until novelists told them. It's essentially an "e-typewriter", and I use it now more than my Chromebook Duet. Thanks again, Chalid! Hugs from Australia.

[angal]

Thank you for doing this long extensive review. Took me quite a long while to finish your video. I especially like your point about how useless the “document scan to pdf” feature is at this point as no other YouTuber talked about it. Even though, like you, I do not use this feature, it sucks to have such a huge camera bump at the back that is completely useless in day to day tasks. The bump is the main reason why Tab Ultra owners cannot use third party Note Air 2+ cases and are stuck with the official cases.

Do consider splitting a video like this to different topics instead of one super long video in the future. You are covering alot of grounds in one video. Still love it though! Awesome content!

[rexincognito]

I really enjoy your reviews on e-ink devices. There is one thing I think you should factor in when comparing the cost of the tab ultra and note air 2 plus, the fact that you get the pen pro 2 out of the box. If I wanted that with the note air 2 series, I’d have to pay $80 dollars extra out of my pocket. So if you take the pen into consideration, it’s only about $40 difference between the devices themselves.

I own the tab ultra and love it. I tell people that if you want a device that you use read and take some notes with, the note air series will work just fine, but if you want a productivity device that can do a little of everything, the an extra $40 for the tab ultra might be worth it.

[GWCSdances]

I read documents a lot and I am getting old. So, I have always been looking for a e-reader. However, e-readers have limited functions. Until I found Boox products.

The combination of e-ink screen and android OS is powerful, allowing me to read many documents on my google drive, check emails, and take handwriting notes.

I owned Boox Lumi2, but I found the Tab Untra is even more powerful with the keyboard. I love the keyboard because it is has a direct physical connection with the tab (not like the Bluetooth keyboard which is slow and takes lot of battery power).

I also like the case that support the tab.

If anything for improvement, I would suggest to enable a shallow angle for a portray orientation. Initially, I found the unit rejects Google Chrome browser, but later on, the issue went away. It is important to keep the native Android functionalities.

The CPU is power and the screen refresh is fast. This makes the unit a good replacement for all other tablets. I bought this unit to function as a small computer and to protect my eyes.

I will look for even more powerful units in the future and even better refresh speed.

Great product!

[bomcabedal]

I feel that a "natural" writing experience is often equated exclusively with a "paper-like" writing experience. They are not necessarily the same thing, or rather: you can have comfortable writing experience that does not emulate paper. I have a Boox Lumi 1 with a Lamy EMR pen, for instance: not something I'd describe as "paper-like" at all, but also entirely unlike a glass surface like an iPad, and for me very natural and comfortable.

[Kallasticot]

This is the most interesting review of this device so I've promoted it on Reddit, I really enjoy the fact that you mentioned clearly its defects! In your next video about it, can you tell us if you can easily copy/paste text from a pdf in a separate document? This function exists on the Supernote and I'm curious if the native pdf editing app does it on the Boox Tab. Cheers!

[KenCozine]

I bought one specifically for reading music. I play mostly outdoors and the ipad that I've been using is hard to read in sunlight. I play mostly at nearby beaches where the sunlight is very bright.

[TimothyBuerki]

Great honest review, I like that you speak your truth.

[styleplague]

How well does it function with excell?

[teles]

Hello Chalid, also thanks for the very interesting video. I would have a question, would you have any comments about how to charge the battery of the device?. I have read that Onyx is not very good with the battery management when charging it and that after 1 year in many cases the battery gets broken (maybe it is not the case for the Tab Ultra). I would like to have your opinion about this. Maybe charging it only until when it reaches 80-90% could help?. What I'm doing so far is to shut it down when it reaches below 30% and charge it for approx 3 hours (and it usually gets to upto 98%). Thanks in advance. Jose

[matiaspuntonet]

I need to know if this tablet works with google play books. Thank you!

[Djblois]

I just found your channel. Great Review. I currently have a Onyx Boox Note 3. Have you ever used Readwise Reader? It doesn't work that well on the Note 3. Do you think the improved performance on the Tab Ultra will allow Readwise Reader to work much better? or do you think the air note 2 Plus would be sufficient?

[tunghq]

The review is very useful, thank you.

[robertgalea]

does it have speech to text and can I record a lecturer speaking during a lecture?

[garyrothy]

I have over 50gb of pdf files gathered from professional meetings. Can these be loaded into the tab ultra and read without distortion? What type of file management system is available?

[thibaldus]

I'm waiting for it with color. Maybe Kaleido 3?

[robertgalea]

I am about to buy an onyx boox. i already have one but I would like to have one with front light, colour and 125 GB. to use for writing notes mainly and reading books like a Kindle. Ideally a 10.3 inch. I need alot of storage cause I have alot of notes to make. Wgich onyx boox would you suggest.? I hope to here from you. Thankyou.

[---txxx]

Does it still “call home” if you turn off WiFi? Can connectivity be turned off
Completely?